2nd Tourism & Property Show a Double Success
More than 7,000 visitors, hundreds of investors in the tourism sector and some 250 foreign visitors attended the 2nd International Tourism & Property Show held from 22 to 24 February at the Olympic Fencing Center at Hellinikon.
This second Tourism & Property Show was, according to the organizers, “An effective vehicle for bringing together Greek state and private businesses and organizations into contact with tourism and real estate professionals.”
The international exhibition was the stage for a number of innovations, including the participation of 41 foreign hosted buyers put up by the organizers of the Tourism & Property Show, Real Travel, for the duration of the event. The buyers had programmed meetings with all the exhibitors who in turn received valuable information on key markets such as those of Great Britain, Ireland, Western Europe and Russia.
The exhibition allowed for the high-powered advertising promotion of Tourism & Property 2008 in Greece and abroad. The first official unveiling of investment plans for luxury mansions, hotels, yacht marinas, golf courses, winter and summer tourism, alternative tourism and prefabricated homes also took place during the exhibition.
Greek Minister for Health and Social Solidarity Dimitris Avramopoulos inaugurated the exhibition. The Greek National Tourism Organization was the institutional sponsor and Hellenic Homes the “golden sponsor” of the exhibition.
The Second International Tourism & Property conference with the theme “Opportunities for Tourism Development and Investment with Respect to the Environment” took place one day prior to the opening of the show. The aim of the conference was to promote the products of tourism and real estate in Greece and the basic theme of the conference organized by Real Travel was the new setting that takes shape in Greece for the development of real estate and its contribution in the rejuvenation of the Greek tourism product.
Speakers at the Tourism & Property conference included key global personalities in the tourism industry, leading Greek businessmen and investors from the tourism sector, state officials, architects and real estate professionals. The conference had three sessions, one on the new law for the tourism industry and holiday residence, one on new trends in hotel architecture with regard to the protection of the natural environment and one on trends in the hotel sector and real estate investment.
Greek Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Kostas Hatzidakis opened the floor and talked on the subject of the government’s policy for the development and the modernization of Greek airports. Tourism Development Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos spoke in the second session of the conference on the protection of the natural environment in combination with investment in tourism and real estate. Mr. Spiliotopoulos asserted, “Through tourism we can promote the natural and cultural environment of our country, and thus repair the mistakes of the past.” The tourism development minister said: “New tourism infrastructure will receive incentives so as to take green initiatives and protect the environment, and strict regulations will ensure the character of each region is respected.” He concluded, “Greece will not be another Costa Del Sol.”
The Greek Tourism & Property Roadshow in Russia will take place on 12 to 13 April 2008 in Moscow. The “Red Square Event” will be held at the Moscow Aurora Marriott hotel. The event is the second in a series of roadshows in key capitals, the first of which was held in London in November 2007.